JxHQ: The Night We Met
by DonnaJossee
Summary: After Harley's taken to Belle Reve and The Joker has yet to know where she is, his sudden loss of her brings back some other tragic memories of his past as he tries to cope with the possible outcome of never getting her back. ONESHOT.


**AN: Hey guys! So I got this inspiration out of nowhere a few minutes ago. I haven't updated my other story and I've been working on the update, but I needed a little break and decided to just try to relax a little and this is what came about. I'm labeling a JxHQ one shot because even though Jeanie is mentioned in this, all of this comes about and is brought into the light and looked back on because of Harley's lock up in Belle Reve and Joker's first few hours before finding out where she was. This is in no way related to my other stories plot lines or anything like that. It's a one shot I just thought up. Let me know what you think and have a good day/night:)**

 ** _The Night We Met_**

 _I had all and then most of you  
Some and now none of you  
Take me back to the night we met  
I don't know what I'm supposed to do  
Haunted by the ghost of you  
Oh, take me back to the night we met —Lord Huron _

**That** night was seared into his mind like a hot branding iron had left its mark in his memory. And tonight was tearing at that scar like a rabid animal.

He sat in front of the fireplace, the flames lighting the dark room in a hellish orange and he held his revolver in one hand, and a bottle of Brandy in the other.

His makeup was smeared, his breath reeked of mixed liquor, his cloths were still a little damp from earlier in the night.

He was drunk, alone, and wallowing in self pity . . .

He'd been drunk and alone plenty of times before.

Any time he and Harley got into it too severely, he'd blow off anger by chugging whiskey and shooting either people or things while venting to Johnny or Harvey Dent, sometimes himself, about how Harley was too much for him and how he should leave her. Words spoken out of anger and a grey, blurred mind in a state of utter drunkenness. He never meant any of it. Even before he met her, he'd spend nights drinking and socializing with his own class of movers and shakers.

But the last time he was drunk, alone and self piteous to the point of tears, was on an occasion quite similar to this one.

He hated thinking about his life before he became The Joker. He hated the fact that after the ECT was performed on him, and he was rid of what memories of his past life he had left, that they eventually came back to haunt him.

He rubbed his temple, feeling another crash of emotion coming on.

He'd been crying. Which he never did. Ever. Not because he was a man and it was unmanly to cry, but simply because he wasn't ever that consumed with emotion. He didn't care enough to ever be that consumed with emotion. But here he was, practically sobbing.

The memory of the last time he was like this, slips into his mind and he grinds his teeth.

His wife had died, taking their unborn child with her.

The breath leaves him as f it's the first time hearing about it all over again.

He felt anxiety and confusion closing in on him, like it had that night.

Complete aloneness and hatred towards the world built up inside of him as he thought back to leaving Harley by herself in the sinking car. Not grabbing her before the bat got her.

Like he'd left his wife the day he went to that meeting about that deal.

If he wouldn't have left, she wouldn't have left the house, and she wouldn't have died.

But he abandoned her, and in return, she abandoned him.

They both did.

He wasn't like this when she was taken to Arkham. Because he knew he would be able to get her out of there easily.

But now, Harley was gone. No where to be found. Not at the police station, or Arkham, or Black Gate.

She had vanished into Thin air it seemed like, and he was losing what was left of his mind because of it.

He didn't _love_ her. He might, but he never wanted to admit it.

He closed his eyes, feeling hot tears spill over his lashes as his mind soared back to the first time he ever saw his ex wife.

 _"Hey, J," Chuck nudged him. He looked up to see what he was looking at._

 _They were staying late after school for detention and had just gotten out and the sun was just setting._

 _A beautiful young woman stepped down the stairs of the school, her hair in curls and her lips tinted a light shade of red._

 _She was walking to a car parked by the curb._

 _"Hey, Doll!" Chuck shouted over at her._

 _"Dude, leave her alone. She ain't got time for you." Jack stated and shoved him gently._

 _His best friend ignored him, and continued._

 _"Aye, Dame!" He motioned at her._

 _"Chuck." J elbowed him again. "Stop it."_

 _"What? I just want her attention for a second. Lighten up, Jack." He scoffed, getting up to jog over to her before she got in the car. "I was callin' you, Hun." He leaned against the girl's car and she continued to ignore him. "How long you been here? I ain't ever seen ya before." He said next. She just placed her books in the back of the car and was about to get in when he blocked her way. "I'm talkin' to you, sweets." She just stared up at him and he smirked. "Oh, I see. You're one of those difficult gals, aren't you? Too prudent to have a little fun and associate with the grade's 'heathens'." He rolled his eyes, annoyed and she crossed her arms._

 _"I've just got done with three hours of tutoring and I'd like to get home." She told him sternly. "Get out of my way so I may do so."_

 _"Are you gettin' an attitude with me, toots?" Chuck cocked his head._

 _Jack stood up from the steps and went to them._

 _"Hey, Chuck, leave the girl alone." He told him lowly._

 _"Jack—"_

 _"—She's tryin' to get home, man. Let her get home." He shrugged._

 _Chuck glanced at the girl, and back at Jack before rolling his jaw._

 _"Alright, fine." He scoffed. "Didn't want that piece anyway. She's gotta too big of a stick up her ass, anyway." He shoved past them and Jack turned to face her._

 _"I'm really sorry about him, he's really stubborn." He stepped back so she could get in her car._

 _"It's fine. I'm used to guys being like that." She smiled gently. "Thanks for getting him off my back. I appreciate it."_

 _"Oh, yeah, it's no problem." He waved it off and she nodded._

 _"I'm Jeannie, by the way." She held her hand out._

 _"I'm Jack." He shook her hand. "How long you been going to school here?"_

 _"A couple weeks." She replied. "I transferred from uptown." She explained._

 _"Oh, no shittin'." He was intrigued, but his colorful language had her blushing. "Oh, shit—I mean damn—I mean darn," he stuttered and she laughed a little. "Sorry, I didn't mean to cuss. I try not to in the presence of a lady. My mom says it's really impolite." He tried not to feel embarrassed and she gave him a reassuring smile._

 _"It's fine, Jack. You say whatever you'd like around me. I've said my fair share of words at times."_

 _"Okay," he grinned, nodding._

 _There was a long pause and she looked around._

 _"Well," she got into her car. "I gotta get going. My moms gonna wonder where I'm at." She cranked it and he looked down at her._

 _"Oh, hey," he grabbed her hand and pulled a pen from his pocket. "You probably don't want it being I'm a complete gutter reck, but if you need anything like someone to get Chuck off your back again, here's my number." He wrote it down gently and she pulled her hand away when he was done._

 _"T–Thank you, Jack. Hopefully I won't have to get Chuck off me anymore, but I'll keep this in mind if I do." She told him._

He took another swig of the Brandy, rubbing the end of the revolver on the edge of his jaw.

Feeling as if he's suffocating, he welcomes the feeling and subconsciously tries to rummage up the memory of him and Harley first meeting.

 _Rain pounded down on the roof of the Asylum._

 _Eery, low music echoed through the halls as the sound of doctors whispering about their patients followed._

 _Joker laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling._

 _He'd been put on punishment for threatening a guard. But the bastard deserved it. They always did._

 _Whistling and moving his foot along to the rhythm, he stopped when he heard the doctors fall almost silent as the hall echoed with the sound of heels walking on it._

 _No one wore heels at Arkham. Not even Leland._

 _He had shot up and walked to the window of his cell to see fresh meat walking up the hall._

 _And he meant fresh meat._

 _The woman was blonde, glasses perched on her nose and her chin was raised as she approached the other doctors._

 _Fake smiles came to their faces, a couple of the male doctors were eying her lustfully and Joker rolled his eyes at them._

 _"Weaklings." He mumbled, narrowing his eyes as Doctor Arkham started to speak to her._

 _He motioned towards Joker's direction and the woman's head turn to see what he'd pointed at._

 _She waited patiently as Arkham finished telling her whatever, before she turned on her heel and started towards his cell._

 _He felt himself cringe at how enthusiastic she appeared._

 _When she finally came to his window, he stares down at her._

 _She was young, very young, her big blue eyes stared up at him excitedly._

 _Her mouth was pulled into a small smile and she cleared her throat before speaking._

 _"Hi," she tried to make herself sound professional, and failed. He snorted to himself. "I'm Doctor Harleen Quinzel."_

 _He furrowed his brows, looking at her as though she were dumb._

 _"I'm going to be your doctor." She explained further and he continued to stare at her blankly._

 _"Well," He rubbed his chin. "Jeremiah definitely got me this time," he scoffed and she looked at him confused. "Thinking a hot blonde is gonna make me behave." He added and she gulped._

 _"E–Excuse me?" She asked him and he grinned, resting a hand on the door._

 _"How exactly did you become my doctor? Are you even outta college yet, Sweetheart?" He asked and she looked startled by the whole situation._

 _"I–Yes, I am." She argued. "Doctor Arkham assigned me to you."_

 _"Well duh." He rolled his eyes again. "Why?"_

 _"I'm not sure. Perhaps he thought I'd be the best option for you." She suggested._

 _"Shit," he looked her up and down, purposely trying to make her uncomfortable—and hopeful chase her off. "I'd say so." He grabbed himself through his pants, licking his lips._

 _She looked horrified by the action and he felt content that he'd managed to make her uneasy._

 _"I–That was very inappropriate, Mister Joker." She scolded him._

 _"Oh, please, you know how many women would pay for me to do that in regards to them? A bunch. So be happy I'm expressing my thoughts and feelings toward my new favorite doctor, so provocatively." He grinned and she shook her head a little._

 _"I don't appreciate how you're going about this. I am your doctor. Please don't have to make me file a sexual harassment report."_

 _"Oh, blah blah blah." He groaned. "You know how many sexual harassment charges I've had to face in my life? You know how many of those charges were just 'cry wolf' cases of women who felt guilty for canoodling with a most wanted criminal?" He asked her and she took a deep breath._

 _"Well, unlike those women, I'm not consenting to any sexual or unprofessional offer or manner of yours. So, please keep it G rated." She crossed her arms._

 _"Fine. I'll walk around with holy water and sunshine shoved up my ass just for you, Abby Cadabby." He hissed, seeing a very small smile creep onto her lips._

 _He liked her smile._

He missed her smile. Her laugh. Her voice.

She'd only been gone a few hours, but it was still killing him how much he was missing her.

Those four nights.

The night he met Jeanie, the night he lost her, the night he met Harley, and a few hours ago when he'd lost her.

He had almost died after the first woman was ripped from him. He loved her.

But if Harley was forever ripped from him, he wouldn't know how to continue. Could he go back to being by himself? Not having an equal to help him? Not having his Harley?

He stared at the gun and the bottle.

Shattered glass hit the back of the fire place and the liquor made the fire grow after he threw the bottle.

The gun went off after he tossed it so hard at the wall, it left a crack in the plaster.

He rested his forehead in his hands. His mind was aching. His head filling with his own violent thoughts. He was going to find out where Harley was if it killed him.

He needed closure. He needed to know she was at least okay.

He'd already lost one significant other before, he'd already lost himself because of it. He wasn't about to lose Harley. And he damn sure wasn't about to lose himself once more.


End file.
